• Pietroski, John T.
  University of Maine Graduate School
  

An investigation was conducted to evaluate differences in selected mechanical and anatomical properties of the wood and paper birch grown in controlled, thinned, and thinned and fertilized plots. Wood samples were collected from 65 healthy paper birch (Betula papyrifera marsh.) trees on two sites in Maine. Silvicultural treatments had been applied to each site 12 years prior to sampling. At the time of sampling, selected whole tree measurements were recorded in the field. A six foot bolt was harvested and subdivided for static bending, compression parallel to the grain, toughness, and anatomical properties. The primary objective was to determine if varying growth rates affected the wood formation process and, hence, wood quality of paper birch.